Speaking to the staff at the state-owned Ukroboronprom facility in Lviv, Poroshenko announced that the deal would also include the production of “a new fire engine based on the T-72” in a deal worth up to UAH920 million (USD35.3 million). Further procurement of T-84 Oplot MBTs is also to be expected, with Poroshenko disclosing that “more than” UAH300 million would be made available.

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s procurement authorities have decided to release a request for proposal, to be sent to three local armored vehicles manufacturers, as part of the Altay tank program. This decision effectively means the three companies will be invited to bid on the program, estimated to reach beyond $10 billion. The companies that received the RFP from the Undersecretariat for Defence Industries, or SSM, are BMC, Otokar and FNSS, all privately owned companies.

Ben Franklin offered a parable in Poor Richard’s Almanac (1758) about how a kingdom could be lost for want of a simple nail. Without the nail, a horse lost its shoe; without the shoe, the horse was disabled and a rider could not deliver his message; without the message, a battle was lost; and losing the battle brought down the kingdom .Philadelphia’s favorite son wasn’t the first sage to warn that small failings can lead to huge consequences — especially in wartime — but it seems every generation needs to relearn the lesson. Bridges collapse for want of paint and planes crash because one item was skipped on the pilot’s pre-flight checklist.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russia’s Uralvagonzavod company said earlier the first shipment of 73 tanks was scheduled for this year. “A significant contract for a large batch. I cannot name its exact worth but the amount [of tank] is large,” Vladimir Kozhin told the Izvestiya newspaper, adding Kuwait was also interested in this type of hardware. According to the outlet, more T-90MS shipments would follow. Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, which oversees such deals, declined to comment.

Under its new strategic defence review, Poland plans to expand its armoured component by purchasing additional Leopard 2 main battle tanks (MBTs), upgrading older T-72 and PT-91 tanks, and increasing the level of protection of other combat vehicles. The defence review, published in May 2017, sets as the main priority for Poland to prepare to defend its own territory and reinforce deterrence capabilities based on national defence capabilities.

LATRUN, Israel — As part of a major, multi-phased upgrade of its armored forces, Israel will soon demonstrate a smart helmet-mounted system — almost identical to that used for the F-35 fighter and other aircraft worldwide — that allows commanders to essentially see through the walls of tanks for safe and effective ground-maneuvering combat.

NEW DELHI — In a sharp departure from its earlier policy to bring in fair and open competition among domestic defence companies, India’s Ministry of Defence on Saturday nominated state-owned enterprises to carry out the midlife update of 693 Russian-made BMP-II infantry combat vehicles. The decision was made by the Defence Acquisition Council, the apex body on defense procurement decisions, which is headed by Defense Minister Arun Jaitely, a senior MoD official said.

Denmark is conducting a mid-life upgrade of 38 of its Leopard 2A5DK main battle tanks, bringing them up to a capability level broadly equivalent to the Leopard 2A7V standard soon to be introduced in Germany. This is intended to maintain the capability of the tanks to their currently projected out-of-service date of 2035. Of the 38 vehicles, 16 will receive the full upgrade, with the remaining 22 to be given a ‘basic’ package that prepares them for but does not fit them with all upgraded systems.

Today’s Photo of the Day feature comes courtesy of author and researcher Ken Estes. These are some pictures he took while climbing around and inside the Tiger II tank housed at the Musée des Blindés (“Museum of Armoured Vehicles”) in Saumur, France. These pictures show the view from the various crew positions and give a pretty good idea of just how limited a range of vision WWII era tank crews enjoyed.

Driver’s periscope

Gunner’s sight

Commander’s cupola periscope

Commander’s open hatch position

The Firearms Blog has posted a review of the Kubinka Tank Museum outside of Moscow. This is not a particularly in-depth review, but it does include some nice photos of the museum and some of the vehicles housed there. The vehicle descriptions are not particularly detailed, something not unexpected given that this is posted on a firearms blog, not an AFV themed blog. Enjoy it for what it is.